Development of small modular reactors took a step forward as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved NuScale Power's uprated 77-megawatt-electric reactor design, the company's second design to clear the agency. NuScale remains the only developer with an NRC-certified SMR design, a distinction that positions it ahead of a crowded field as the technology moves from licensing toward deployment.
NuScale has paired the approval with commercial momentum. The company announced a program with ENTRA1 Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority aimed at a 6-gigawatt SMR deployment, and it has multiple power modules in production with manufacturing partner Doosan while performing engineering work on an overseas project.
Other developers are advancing on different reactor types. TerraPower secured an NRC construction permit for its Natrium plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, a 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor designed to operate at higher temperatures and lower pressures than conventional water-cooled units. Kairos Power, using molten salt-cooled technology, signed a corporate power purchase agreement with Google to supply electricity from its Hermes 2 project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Oklo, which is developing a sodium-cooled fast reactor, plans a pilot demonstration at Idaho National Laboratory.
As of early 2026, no small modular reactor had begun commercial operation in the Western world. Industry observers point to the next two to three years as decisive, with first-of-a-kind reactors such as the Kairos test unit and the Oklo demonstration expected to reach milestones around 2027 and 2028 that will test whether factory-built nuclear can deliver on cost and schedule.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy - https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/nrc-approves-nuscale-powers-uprated-small-modular-reactor-design